1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to triglyceride compositions useful as deep-fat frying shortenings and capable of delivering flavor to foodstuff materials fried therein. The present invention also relates to a novel method of stabilizing a volatile, artificial meat-like flavorant in an edible shortening so as to extend the effective delivery of the flavorant to the fried foodstuff materials over an extended period of cooking time or through repeated cycles of deep-fat frying.
2. The Prior Art
The employment of glyceride fat compositions in the deep-fat frying or deep-frying of foodstuff materials has been commonplace in home, institutional, industrial and commercial cooking operations. As a result, glyceride fat compositions intended primarily for deep-fat frying operations have comprised a significant segment of commercial shortening and oil products.
The deep-fat frying of foodstuffs involves the partial or complete submersion of the foodstuff into a bath of shortening which has been heated to elevated temperatures, thus allowing for rapid cooking. In addition to the advantage of the rapidity of cooking, any of a variety of meat and vegetable foodstuffs are commonly deep-fat fried so as to impart to the foodstuffs desirable physical and organoleptic properties produced by the deep-frying operation. Since high deep-frying temperatures are desirable in deep-frying operations, deep-frying oils have been formulated which allow deep frying at higher temperatures before being subjected to thermal degradation as evidenced, for example, by smoking. Typically, high smoke temperature deep-frying oils have been realized by formulating glyceride compositions having higher fatty acid moieties, i.e., wherein the acyl groups are in the range of 16-22 carbon atoms.
Another problem which deep-frying compositions must avoid is foaming. Foaming can result from the frying medium's retention of moisture lost from the foodstuffs while being fried. The foaming problem can be caused by the presence of emulsifiers typically contained in those shortening compositions formulated for baking, for example. Accordingly, non-foaming deep-frying compositions can be realized by limiting the presence of emulsifiers. However, foaming can occur even in deep-frying compositions which are free of emulsifiers if the compositions comprise oils having low fatty acid moeities, i.e., wherein the acyl groups are less than C.sub.14, or wide differences in the fatty acid chain length. Thus, high smoke temperature deep-fat frying oils having high chain length fatty acids (e.g., C.sub.16 to C.sub.22) generally do not contain high levels of lauric acid (C.sub.12) gylceride oils (e.g., coconut oil) so as to avoid potential foaming problems.
Further modification to the flavor of foodstuffs deep-fried by delivery of flavor from a deep-fat frying oil has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,480,446 (issued Nov. 25, 1969 to C. M. Hollenbeck). The addition of a flavorant to a deep-fat frying oil as a means of delivering flavor to fried foods has, however, presented a problem with regard to flavor stability or retention. Often, such flavorants, particularly artificial meat-like flavorants, comprise volatile materials. The extended heating typical of deep-fat frying over repeated cooking cycles results in a flashing off or devolatilization of the volatile flavorant with the result that effective delivery of the flavorant to the fried foodstuff materials has been limited to about 10 hours of heating and frying.
Given the state of the deep-fat frying art as described above, there is continuing need for new and useful deep-fat frying compositions with high smoke temperatures and which are non-foaming as well as which provide effective delivery of flavorants to foodstuffs fried therein for extended periods of time. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide non-foaming deep-fat frying compositions with prolonged flavor-delivery frylives.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide prolonged flavor-delivery frylife deep-fat frying compositions with high smoke temperatures and which are non-foaming.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide high smoke temperature and non-foaming deep-fat frying compositions having prolonged flavor delivery frylives that are flavored with artificial meat-like flavorants.
It has been surprisingly discovered that the above objectives can be realized and superior deep-fat frying compositions provided by formulating a composition comprising certain glyceridic base fats flavored with a volatile, artificial meaty flavorant which has been stabilized by the addition of particular amounts of certain lauric acid edible oils.